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Lateral view of a Female Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeridae) (Hex) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Hex Mayflies
Hexagenia limbata

The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.

I spent more than an hour casting to several rising trout in this pool and caught only two. Its clear water and tricky currents harbor dozens of free-rising, usually very hard-to-catch fish. From Enfield Creek in New York

Stream photos

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Clostoeca disjuncta (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly LarvaClostoeca disjuncta (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly Larva
Lateral view of a Clostoeca disjuncta (Limnephilidae) (Northern Caddisfly) Caddisfly Larva from the Yakima River in Washington
This one was surprisingly straightforward to identify. The lack of a sclerite at the base of the lateral hump narrows the field quite a bit, and the other options followed fairly obvious characteristics to Clostoeca, which only has one species, Clostoeca disjuncta.
11 Recently Added Photos
27" brown trout, my largest ever. It was the sub-dominant fish in its pool. After this, I hooked the bigger one, but I couldn't land it.
Troutnut is a project started in 2003 by salmonid ecologist Jason "Troutnut" Neuswanger to help anglers and fly tyers unabashedly embrace the entomological side of the sport. Learn more about Troutnut or support the project for an enhanced experience here.

Updates from April 23, 2004

Photos by Troutnut

This muskrat swam around me for a while as I fished a caddisfly hatch.

Underwater photos by Troutnut

There's a very well-camouflaged Baetisca laurentina mayfly nymph resting on the twig in the bottom left corner of this picture. Can you spot him?
This is a pretty clear photo of an Epeorus nymph clinging flat against a log. The big mound of debris on the bottom center of the picture, attached to the light rock, is a structure that's been puzzling me. I've found several in one section of the river. It's big, like 2 inches long and maybe 1/2-3/4 inch wide/tall, and hollow, like some sort of coccoon or something. It's clearly a structure built by some sort of little creature, but I'm not sure what.
I'm not quite sure what this is. It may be an Isonychia nymph hiding under a piece of grass.

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

Male Siphloplecton basale (Pseudo-Gray Drake) Mayfly Dun
5 Pictures
Lateral view of a Male Siphloplecton basale (Metretopodidae) (Pseudo-Gray Drake) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
This one hatched on the same April Saturday that I saw the first Hendricksons of the season.
Added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Collected April 23, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin and added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Male Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) Mayfly Dun
3 Pictures
The wings aren't really yellowish; that's just the color they take on when they've been injured. Male Ephemerella subvaria (Ephemerellidae) (Hendrickson) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Collected April 23, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin and added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Female Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) Mayfly Dun
3 Pictures
Female Ephemerella subvaria (Ephemerellidae) (Hendrickson) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Collected April 23, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin and added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
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Updates from April 22, 2004

Underwater photos by Troutnut

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Updates from April 17, 2004

Photos by Troutnut

I'm in this picture casing into the riffle above one of my favorite pools. The fishing was fine, but the catching wasn't so hot. I got one strike on my carefully tied nymphs and two on my cheap foam strike indicator.

Underwater photos by Troutnut

There are a couple Epeorus mayfly nymphs clinging to this rock. One interesting thing I've noticed is that even though the stream has a lot of clingers, they rarely show up in my photos, and I've started paying more attention to the river bottom while I'm fishing I've noticed that clinger nymphs generally see or feel me coming and scurry to the undersides of their rocks before I can get in picture range. I think I have the same problem with stoneflies.
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Updates from April 15, 2004

Photos by Troutnut

I don't know if I skunked this day or not. I didn't catch any trout, but, um... does this count? (He grabbed onto my Pink Squirrel nymph as it drifted along the bottom and held on for dear life with his pincers.)

Underwater photos by Troutnut

A sculpin hides under a rock. The camouflage is amazing.
I lifted a rock in pursuit of a stonefly nymph that had scurried beneath it, and instead I found this Ephemera simulans burrowing mayfly nymph waiting to be photographed.
A crayfish munches on an unidentified white thing.
Here's a view through the stationary den of a type of netspinning caddisfly larva.
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Updates from April 13, 2004

Underwater photos by Troutnut from Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin

Hundreds of cased caddisfly larvae live on this log in a small brook trout stream. From Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin
Cased caddis larvae blanket this section of stream bottom. From Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin
Hundreds of cased caddis larvae cling to sparse weed growth in the sand under heavy current. From Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin
Here's the view from inside an algae bloom in a still backwater along a pristine small stream. From Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin
Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin
Eighteenmile Creek in Wisconsin

Closeup insects by Troutnut from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin

Male Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson) Mayfly Dun
3 Pictures
Male Ephemerella subvaria (Ephemerellidae) (Hendrickson) Mayfly Dun from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin
Added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Collected April 13, 2004 from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin and added by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
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